Eye Changes May Signal Cognitive Decline

Signs of damage in the microvasculature of the eye are linked to subsequent cognitive decline, a large prospective study shows.

Using fundus photography, which takes images of the interior surface of the eye, including the retina, investigators at Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health in Baltimore, Maryland, found retinopathy was associated with faster cognitive decline over a 20-year period vs no retinopathy.

"One of the reasons we're so excited about our study is that we think these changes in the very small blood vessels we see in the eye probably mirror the very small blood vessel changes that are going on in the brain," first author, Jennifer A. Deal, PhD, told Medscape Medical News.